A(nother) Day in New York
I took the AmTrak first thing in the morning, from Short Hills New Jersey to Penn Station. New York City! I was back, but this time, Manhattan wasn't the final destination... I was on my way to Brooklyn! I hopped on the L Train and Blake said he'd meet me just outside Bushwick Avenue and we'd walk over to his apartment. When I arrived, there he was, as promised. It had been so long since I'd seen him, so our reunion felt extra special. Bushwick - he explained - had gone through a tremendous amount of gentrification and clean up over the last few years, so old dilapidated buildings were now trendy co-ops and coffee shops, and the once gloomy parks were now safe havens for couples with kids and dogs to spend their afternoons. Business was booming in Bushwick.
We went into his apartment, I settled down my things and was in awe of how beautiful it was: an exposed brick home with a skylight in the living room, a quaint kitchen painted yellow and an amazing rooftop with the view of the entire city. The Williamsburg Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Hudson River. How did he stumble upon such a gem? He shared this place with a couple, the girl whom he met on exchange to Switzerland the guy who he has since become close with. I met them and we enjoyed a coffee together in the kitchen.
Blake said he had some fun surprises planned for the day. I love surprises so I was thrilled to go along. The first was going to the Warhol exhibit at the MoMA. I was sooo excited! In all my years visiting New York, I'd never been to the MoMA, so that was a huge deal. We saw Van Gogh, we saw Picasso, we saw Henri Rousseau, we saw Salvador Dali. It was magic.
After the museum, we made our way to KoreaTown for some authentic barbecue. And soju. Lots of soju. It felt like old times, we laughed really hard, reminisced and had our first big life catch up in a long time. We had to pay a visit to Paris Baguette (a Korean dessert chain and an old favourite of ours) on our way out for some macarons.
We then walked to the High Line, and stopped to enjoy the warm spring weather on a patio for a couple of pints at a place called the Half King. It was so busy for a weekday, which is true New York form; no matter what day of the week it is, that city is always alive.
We made our way up the stairs to the High Line. Man, it's amazing up there. The artwork, the restaurants, the vendors, but especially the history and why it's such an important New York monument. We spent a long time up there, just sitting on a park bench and taking it all in.
The sun was going to set soon, so we made our way back to Brooklyn. We went to an Oyster and Wine Bar called Desnuda for dinner and cocktails. It was amazing, and definitely the first time that I had oysters where I was like, yep, these are going to be a part of my life forever. He was friends with the bartender, who mixed us a couple of delicious gin-based cocktails.
We walked from the restaurant, through the park to a bodega to pick up a bottle of champagne. Blake said he had one last surprise. We went back to his place, up to the rooftop, and on went fairy lights. It was a spectacular view. You could see the Chrysler building light up the city; the Williamsburg Bridge on one side of us, the Brooklyn Bridge on another. This was the New York that makes you want to stay there forever.
We popped the bottle and looked out into the city on a big blanket with James Vincent McMorrow playing on his phone, using a cup as an amplifier. A while after, his roommates joined us, clad with more champagne and stories. The laughs didn't seem to end. Probably because of the champagne. The evening started to slow down and there was a chill in the air. We went inside and turned on the movie Harold and Maude, one I hadn't seen before (but is now a favourite) and we all fell asleep. That day will forever be remembered as one of my favourites.